Read Faces in the Moon: A Novelby Betty Louise Bell Online

Faces in the Moon is the story of three generations of Cherokee women, as viewed by the youngest, Lucie, a woman who has been able to use education and her imagination to escape the confines of her rootless, impoverished upbringing. When her mother’s illness summons her back to Oklahoma, Lucie finds herself confronted with the legacy of a childhood she has worked hard to sFaces in the Moon is the story of three generations of Cherokee women, as viewed by the youngest, Lucie, a woman who has been able to use education and her imagination to escape the confines of her rootless, impoverished upbringing. When her mother’s illness summons her back to Oklahoma, Lucie finds herself confronted with the legacy of a childhood she has worked hard to separate from her adult self.Her mother, Gracie, and her maternal aunt, Auney, are members of the Cherokees’ "lost generation," women who rejected the traditional rural ways in search of a more glamorous life as autonomous working women....

Title

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Faces in the Moon: A Novel

Author

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Betty Louise Bell

Rating

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ISBN

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9780806127743

Format Type

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Paperback

Number of Pages

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200 Pages

Status

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Available For Download

Last checked

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21 Minutes ago!

Faces in the Moon: A Novel Reviews

E. M.2019-02-04 03:40

An intergenerational tale of mothers and daughters and a displaced people. I'm not sure how to review this book - it's not like anything I've ever read. There are first- and third-person narrators, different voices, memories from all different points in the past, bits of memory woven all through the story. It's so intricate. Sometimes I wasn't sure whose voice I was hearing or just what they were talking about.That said, I finished this really quickly, and I'd definitely read it again. It's a fantastic character study, and the voices are so strong. There's an interesting balance as pertains to being Cherokee. You have Lucie's mother, who typically tries to play up her white ancestry but whose every story revolves around their Cherokee family. You have half-Cherokee characters all but ignoring their Cherokee ancestry while other people jump at the chance to claim that ancestry where there's little or maybe none. It almost seemed like a joke, that way - it reminded me of all the white actors who get cast as First Nation characters and say they have a minute amount of Cherokee (it's always Cherokee) on their mother's grandfather's brother's side or something, like that's supposed to make it better.Faces in the Moon is one of the least straightforward stories I've ever read, but it was a fascinating read.

Angie Fehl2019-01-24 01:39

Faces In The Moon introduces the reader to generations of women within one Native American family and explores the varied feelings between them regarding their culture. While some of the women completely embrace their heritage, others are uncomfortable with it, preferring to present themselves in a more Caucasian way, at least in public. One woman, Gracie, tries to disguise her Native American features by dying her hair blonde, shaving her eyebrows down, drawing them back in. She believes this looks more womanly than her natural look. Her fixation on her looks seeps into her relationship with her daughter, Lucie. Lucie sadly takes a lot of heat from her mom, having to endure statements like "You're plain... better be smart."Lucie also battles harsh treatment from her mother's revolving door of boyfriends -- some alcoholic, some abusive. When Gracie becomes deeply involved with one man in particular, the man moves in and things almost instantly become tense between him and Lucie. Not only does Gracie's white boyfriend express racist sentiments toward Lucie, but there is also subtext that suggests that some sort of sexual assault might have been carried out on Lucie. Eventually the boyfriend makes the ultimatum that either Lucie has to leave or he will, so Gracie packs up Lucie and takes her to live with Great-Aunt Lizzie. All the way to Lizzie's house, Gracie is berating her daughter (as well as drinking while driving, btw -- class act, that one) -- cursing Lucie for her "selfish" behavior, telling her, "all you had to do was be nice to him... well, your days of milk and honey are over.."Lizzie and her husband, Uncle Jerry, live out on a farm where, for what seems like the first time in Lucie's life, Lucie is able to sleep in a real bed rather than a pallet on the floor, as well as get solid meals and clean clothes every day without fail, not to mention just the overall safe environment a rural farm provides, compared to what Lucie was coming from! Funny thing is, Lucie is surprised to realize that even with all this, she still misses her mom. The first part of the story focuses on these early years. Later on it fast forwards into present time when Lucie is now a grown woman and literature professor, embarrassed to ever be reminded of her mother's 3rd grade education. Lucie is called back home when her mom has to be hospitalized for a lengthy time. When not sitting with her mother in the hospital, Lucie spends time at her mom's house, taking care of the place and thinking back on the traumas and heartaches of years past, reflecting on how far things have come.While this story might not have been the most exciting as far as plot action goes, I did think it was good as a general character study kind of look into the intricacies of a family, how we can't choose our genetic families and how some of us seriously pull short straw when it comes to ideal home situations, but how we can also dedicate ourselves to doing the best for our own lives. Finding ways to make peace with life's disappointments, acknowledging the blessings, however small they might seem. As far as specific characters that spoke to me, I think my favorite was Uncle Jerry. Gotta love that he seemed so unruffled by life, one of those unwavering optimists that could easily find joy and humor in nearly anything. Given what Lucie was struggling with in her mind and home life, I think he was the perfect balm to keep her sane and grounded during a really challenging time. Also, given that I have Native American heritage myself, I did enjoy all the jokes made about the dangers of angering a Native woman (the NA women making the jokes themselves, btw) -- "Ain't nobody meaner than an Indian woman that's been crossed."

Don Flynn2019-02-22 06:39

This story is billed as fiction, but I would bet it's heavily autobiographical. It reads more lived than invented.It tells the tale in first person of Lucie Evers, a mixed blood Cherokee girl, and her mother and aunt who take care of her. Her mother is a very flawed human being. She smokes too much, gets involved with questionable men, and criticizes her daughter at nearly every turn. Still, Lucie loves her mother, and it's her mother's stories which draw her in. She serves as her mother's rapt audience when she's younger, learning about older members of her family, especially her grandmother, who was a link to the time before dispossession and reservations.After talking back repeatedly to her mother's abusive boyfriend, she is carted off to her Aunt Lizzie's farm, and rays of sunlight begin to slash through the dark tone. Her aunt and her Uncle Jerry are gentler souls, who give Lucie space to explore and be herself. The rustic area around the farm serve as a healing balm, cleansing some of her mother's toxicity. Lizzie, at first a terse, reluctant caretaker, eventually softens in the girl's presence, opening up with stories and advice of her own. Lizzie sleeps close by when Lucie is sick. Lizzie's troubling cough becomes more persistent over the years, awakening Lucie to the fact that this golden time can't last forever. Her mother returns to claim her daughter eventually, the boyfriend Lucie offended turning into another romantic footnote. In that time though, Lucie finds a slender line of hope.When Lucie returns home many years later as a successful adult, she must reckon with her mother's legacy, exploring her own feelings about her troubling childhood. It's a gripping journey, written with lucid , startling honesty. The prose is lean, but every word is precisely placed, and cuts to the truth of imperfect families and the long-term effects of a peoples' oppression. If there were any sense in this world, this book would sit proudly alongside other classics we revere, such as To Kill A Mockingbird.

Michelle Boyer2019-02-01 02:20

A wonderful example of Cherokee literatureThis novel follows the lives of three generations of Cherokee women that are seeking their own identities as Cherokee tribal members, women, mothers, and urban Indians living in a contemporary setting. As the story unfolds, we see patterns of motherhood and how children are effected by those that mother them --alongside the tough choices that mothers must make. Some of the mothers within this text are abject, and make deplorable decisions that put their children in danger. Other mothers, or stand-in mothers, are wonderful women that take mothering very seriously and will protect children that are not even their own. This is a gorgeous story about one woman's journey to forgive her mother for the wrongs that she has committed against her--but will she forgive her mother, or is their bond shattered forever?I used this book in my Master's Thesis, so I'm clearly biased towards it and am in love with it. But I highly recommend this novel!

NK2019-01-24 03:42

I picked up this book as a used text book. It has writing in the margins - apparent class notes. Avoiding the prior reader's notes I read this story. Loved it! Focused on women in a fictional family, their interaction with each other and how their relationships evolve over the years. I wish there was more. Great reading.

Kristin2019-02-01 03:23

Commonly summarized as a depiction of a mother-daughter relationship, this is a beautiful narrative of abuse and maternal lineage and the mother-daughter relationship is shared by a community of women who are both the nurturer and child.

Ashley2019-02-06 00:46

One of those books that just need to go in the freezer, and stay there until they asphyxiate or freeze to death. Whichever one comes first.

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